Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK.
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK.
Chemistry. 2018 Dec 17;24(71):19066-19074. doi: 10.1002/chem.201804576. Epub 2018 Nov 21.
Breaking away from the linear structure of previously reported peptide-based gelators, this study reports the first example of gel formation based on the use of cyclic peptides made of alternating d- and l-amino acids, known to self-assemble in solution to form long nanotubes. Herein, a library of cyclic peptides was systemically studied for their gelation properties in various solvents, uncovering key parameters driving both organogel and hydrogel formation. The hierarchical nature of the self-assembly process in water was characterised by a combination of electron microscopy imaging and small-angle X-ray scattering, revealing a porous network of entangled nanofibres composed by the aggregation of several cyclic peptide nanotubes. Rheology measurements then confirmed the formation of soft hydrogels.
本文打破了先前报道的基于肽的凝胶剂的线性结构，报告了第一个基于使用由交替的 d-和 l-氨基酸组成的环肽的凝胶形成的例子，这些环肽已知在溶液中自组装形成长纳米管。在此，系统地研究了一系列环肽在各种溶剂中的凝胶性质，揭示了驱动有机凝胶和水凝胶形成的关键参数。水相中的自组装过程的层次性通过电子显微镜成像和小角 X 射线散射的组合来表征，揭示了由几个环肽纳米管聚集而成的缠结纳米纤维的多孔网络。流变学测量随后证实了软水凝胶的形成。
